Chicken laws in Savannah, GA

[KelseyMarie]

I have a silkie I've been keeping in the house and letting roam in the backyard for the past 3 months but i'm not sure about the laws there. Right now i'm on break until January so I brought her home with me to Santa Rosa Beach, FL where I'm not to worried because we live on so much land, but I'm not sure about in savannah where I live in a smaller area. She's is very quiet and happy, but I would be devastated if she had to be taken away. Does anyone know the ordinances there or what I should look out for?

 

[StarLover21]

I looked it up- it said not to let them run at large, and if you have five or more fowl keep them 100 feet away from people. Nowhere said 'no chickens'. I think you'll be okay. Here's the link I was looking at- click on Savannah.
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusgaodlincolncounty_savannah.htm#savannah

 

[suntex01]

You should be fine.

Thanks in part to Paula Dean's own encounter.

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/paula-deen-cited-for-backyard-chickens

 

[jebbush02]

Savannah is about to change its chicken ordinance. The new rule will allow 1 chicken per 1000 square feet of property. For me, I will be able to go from 5 chickens to 9. Paula dean does not live in the savannah city limits, so the rules that affected het were from the county. This new ordinance for savannah will match Chatham county's new rule.

 

[KrakenQueen]

I saw this yesterday! I'm pretty happy knowing I could potentially keep up to 6 hens, which was my absolute maximum. I only plan to have 3 for the next however many years (probably till the last one stops laying).

Did you also notice the addition of apiaries? I thought that was interesting in itself.


EDIT:
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-02-05/backyard-chickens-and-bees-considered-savannah#comment-306309
http://www.thempc.org/HistoricPreservation/Animal Control Ordinance Revisions.html

To note, I contacted [email protected] with this suggestion:

"Hello!

I wish I would have been able to attend the discussion about the new chicken ordinances as I have been interested in owning hens myself. I read the articles online about it and a thought occurred about how many hens per 1000 sqft could be adjusted a smidgeon.

When we think of the typical hen, I agree on the 1 hen per 1000 square feet, but what about the much smaller bantam hens? For those living downtown with less space, bantams would still provide the eggs the owners would want (and pet chickens! ). Would it be possible to consider 2 bantams per every 1000 square feet to adjust difference in size with the typical larger hens? Plus, having two hens allows them to have the social structure birds need to be happy.

I also noticed mention of zoning and have been wondering about our area in Parkside behind Daffin. Is our area clear for (or will it be) owning hens? I'd love it to be!

Thank you for your time,"


And, I am zoned r-6, which is zoned for keeping hens, but I wanted to double check to make sure it stayed that way*

 

[KrakenQueen]

I received a reply this morning, and it makes sense to me, again, I'm still new to learning about chickens but I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I am also delighted to know (and be made aware of) our zoning will allow for chickens. It's good that I asked, otherwise I'd have been in a heap of trouble for sure! Reading the ordinances are often like trying to solve a puzzle.

"Hi Hannah,

Thanks for your comments and interest! The provision for 1 hen per 1000 square feet has less to do with the size of the chicken needing the space and more to do with the protection of the neighboring property owner from things like smells or waste that might be produced. So I don’t know that bantam hens, although smaller in size, would produce significantly less waste. A typical lot downtown is either 30 x 90 or 60 x 90 which is 2700 or 5400 square feet so would allow 2-5 chickens. So except on very small lots, multiple chickens would be permitted. Of course, the further away from downtown you get, the larger the lots. I think in Parkside a typical lot is closer to 6000 square feet.

According to the current zoning ordinance, your area would not be allowed to have chickens. In the proposed zoning ordinance, all areas of the city will be allowed to have hens, subject to the animal control ordinance regulations.

I hope that helps- please let me know if you have any more questions, comments, or suggestions.

Ellen"